A Long Time Ago In a Galaxy Far, Far Away
by Anakin-Jason-Skywalker-Kenobi
Summary: Set in an Alternative Universe, Anakin and Obi-Wan are sent on a mission to deal with someone cornering the water market on Tatooine. But it turns into much more as choices must be made to save not just their own lives, but those of innocents.
1. Obi-Wan's Problem

**Update: December 29, 2013: I've revised this story and made major changes to make it flow better and hopefully make it easier to read than before.**

**Thanks to: yuukikuran13**

A Long Time Ago In a Galaxy Far, Far Away…

Obi-Wan Kenobi was pacing outside the Jedi Temple. Where was that padawan? He's only fourteen. He shouldn't be outside the temple without permission or even alone. Maybe it was something he had done? He had snapped at him for that training exercise going wrong. It wasn't Anakin's fault that the sprinkler system went off… was it? He would confront Anakin after the meddlesome Padawan came back. Maybe Yoda was wrong after all…

Obi-Wan had confronted Master Yoda only the day before but it seemed like an eternity ago.

"I just think Anakin wants a new master. Anakin is in need of a new master. It is my belief that Qui-Gon was wrong to think I could handle the training of the Chosen One. If he really is the one to bring balance, why don't you train him? You have more wisdom and power of the Force then I will ever have. I think… I might fail him."

Master Yoda had been sitting there while Obi-Wan was talking, 'Second guessing himself he is. Wants guidance and needs control he does. Help him I will.' "In much distress, young Skywalker is in. Nightmares. Hmmm… Patience and guidance he needs. Talk to him, you should. Your former master was right. Train him, you should. Much confusion and fear cloud the Force around both Master and Padawan. Clear your mind. Warm up to you, he will."

"Yes, Master Yoda." He still looked confused.

"Go to him. Night approaches." The old Jedi Master crossed his legs and nodded in farewell, going back into meditation.

Obi-Wan had decided to let the young boy rest for the night and didn't bring it up until the next morning during their daily training exercises.

"Good. Watch your footing, Anakin! Your left flank is open. Keep watching your footing! Nice blow, but take defense. Footing!"

Everyone in the temple knew the familiar sounds of Kenobi and Skywalker training. It was commonly joked that Training Room 13 was dedicated to them because of all the destruction brought during the exercises. Younglings always said that it was haunted and that the voice of Master Kenobi could still be heard yelling even after they stopped training. These rumors were being put to the test as one youngling from the Bear Clan, Liam, was brave enough to hide in the vents above the room, waiting to see the famous duo.

What Liam didn't know was that he was about to see the argument that started the long journey that is awaiting Anakin and Obi-Wan.

"I'm trying Master!" The young Padawan shouted while practicing his preferred form of lightsaber combat, Shien/Djem So.

"Do or do no. There is no try," Obi-Wan calmly parried the jab and took a leap back.

"Why do you always quote Yoda? Why don't you just talk to me?!" Anakin yelled in anger, letting it fuel another attack, attempting a new move that was definitely a 'Skywalker Original.'

'I wonder why they are arguing. I know if I had a Master like Master Kenobi, I would hang onto every single word he said,' Liam thought to himself.

The vents suddenly started filling with a thick layer of black smoke. The boy crawled as fast as he could to get away from it, but it soon took over.

The sprinkler system started up in the training room. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan stopped.

"Is this part of the exercise, Master?" Anakin withdrew his saber and attached it to his belt, looking up.

"No, Padawan. It's not. Did you have anything to do with this? It might be one of those droids that you insist on keeping in your room. You spend more time on them then your studies," Obi-Wan did the same and sheathed the glowing blue blade.

"I do not! They all have restraining bolts on them, anyway! You would know that if you actually took the time to talk about them."

Obi-Wan could feel his anger rising, but he pushed it down quickly, "I try to talk to you, Anakin, but you never listen."

Anakin glared and walked towards the doors, "I'm sorry, Master. I'll try better next time." He stormed out, ignoring the stares from passing Jedi due to his wet clothes.

Liam desperately pushed on the vent's door and it eventually gave way under pressure. He fell out and landed on one of the training mats nearby, coughing from all the smoke that had filled his lungs.

Obi-Wan was startled at first, but then walked over to investigate. It was a youngling, about six or seven years of age. Short dark brown hair covered his head except for the small braid that barely went past his left ear. His emerald eyes were filled with fear. He reminded Obi-Wan of Qui-Gon.

"Hello, youngling." Obi-Wan said in a soft, calm voice. He picked the boy up and held him in his arms, not wanting him to run off. "What is your name?"

"I'm L-Liam… from Bear Clan, M-Master Kenobi. I s-swear I didn't set those off," He pointed to the sprinkler system that was still running. "I j-just wanted to see if the stories were true." The youngling spoke quickly, trying not to fumble over his words.

"It will be alright. The rumors are not true, though. You should be back with your clan by now. It's almost time for your training exercises," Obi-Wan could see the truth in the boy's eyes.

"Yes, Master Kenobi." Liam smiled, very relieved.

Obi-Wan walked Liam to the crèche. After the youngling changed out of his wet clothes, Obi-Wan took Liam to his clan, where Master Yoda was teaching.

"Hmm… Wet you are, Master Kenobi. Why, might I ask?"

"A slight mishap during training, Master Yoda." Obi-Wan replied briskly, bowing out of respect before leaving to find his Padawan. He went to Anakin's room, but the reckless boy was gone. Now all there was left to do was to wait for Anakin to come back to the Temple.


	2. Anakin's Friend

**Update: December 29, 2013: Apologies for this being a short chapter.**

Anakin Skywalker was slowly strolling the lower streets of Coruscant, contemplating if he was right in leaving the Temple. Obi-Wan was bound to be mad once he found that his Padawan was missing, but what choice did he have? Rules were made to be broken and Anakin Skywalker was a professional. Besides, what did it matter if he left for a few hours? He was going to come back after he was calm.

He continued walking down the busy corridors, stopping once and awhile to admire the variety of speeder parts that were for sale. If he had remembered to grab his credits, it was almost guaranteed that there would be a few more parts sitting in his room the second he returned. Unfortunately, he had no money and was forced to be a spectator more than a buyer. He made his way up to the higher levels and admired some beautiful classic speeders.

After about an hour, he realized that he should probably go back. That was, until he saw the Senate building gleaming in the distance. He hadn't seen his old friend in awhile. It would be a good way to get some things off his chest after the argument with Obi-Wan.

He had only been a Padawan for five years, and Obi-Wan treated him like he was only a youngling sitting in the crèche. At least Supreme Chancellor Palpatine didn't judge him. He had always told Anakin to go to him if he was in trouble or needed help. Right now, all he needed guidance and hopefully some pleasant conversation. He walked into the Senate building, going through the typical procedure and went up to the top floor. He showed his security pass to the Chancellor's personal guards and waited. He pondered for a moment on why their robes matched the carpet and if there was a personal decorator that decided these things.

"The Supreme Chancellor will see you now." One of them replied after a minute, breaking Anakin's thoughts.

Anakin nervously walked in, hoping that he wasn't disrupting anything truly important. But after he saw Palpatine's smiling face, he felt reassured. Palpatine got up from his desk and went to greet Anakin. He embraced him in a huge hug that felt very comforting, but it only made his anger rise more towards Obi-Wan for not being there for him like this. His Master never showed his emotions like this. That is, except for his disapproval. He showed a lot of that.

"Anakin, my boy. What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you today?" Palpatine said while gesturing to a rather comfortable looking seat. He sat behind his desk, giving Anakin his undivided attention.

"I just need some advice. Someone that is close to me doesn't seem to trust me," He said as he sat down.

"I see… Do you trust them?" Palpatine had a good idea on who it was, but allowed the charade to continue so that he could learn more.

Anakin thought for a moment. "I don't know anymore. I use to but…"

"But what?"

"He's overly critical, never listens, and I feel… I feel like I shouldn't be his apprentice. I don't even think he wanted me. In fact, know he doesn't want me. I overheard him talking to Master Yoda. He wants to give up my training. He only took me because it was his Master's last wish," Anakin let his thoughts out, taking a deep breath afterwards.

"Anakin, this is a big problem. I'm no Jedi, but what would happen if you just confronted him and told him how you feel?" Palpatine smiled softly.

"Jedi don't talk about their feelings," Anakin mumbled, standing from his chair.

"Then I'm sorry Anakin. All I can offer is my advice," The smile turned into a frown as he stood and walked Anakin to the door.

"It's alright. Your presence was all I needed to think clearly," Anakin walked out, heading towards the Temple once again. 'What am I going to do now?'


	3. Obi-Wan's Task

**Update: December 29, 2013: Again, apologizes on the smallness of the chapters.**

As Anakin walked towards the Temple, he couldn't stop feeling regret. He hadn't even left a note to say where he was or when he was coming back. His Master was probably worried… What if he was going to be in serious trouble? Anakin couldn't remember there being a rule that said that a Padawan could not leave the grounds… Why was he worrying? His Master wouldn't even notice if he was gone.

Anakin walked in the gate, waving to one of the guards on duty, "Hey, Watcher!" He yelled to the man. All that Watcher did was tip his hat and nod. The man's name was practically unknown, leaving him with the common nickname of Watcher. Anakin had asked for his real name before, but all he got was extra studies from Obi-Wan for being late to training. So, he was content on just Watcher for now.

Anakin sighed, seeing his Master at the doors of the Temple. There goes that theory of him not noticing…

"Where have you been!?" Obi-Wan sounded concerned, his arms crossed and an unamused expression on his face.

"Just out for a walk, Master. I'm sorry I didn't leave a note. I thought I would be right back, but I got distracted," Anakin looked distracted, attempting to pass off the incident without further questioning.

'He's lying to me,' Obi-Wan's face reflected hurt for a second then quickly went back to its normal façade. "Alright… I have an assignment for you."

"Yes, Master?" Anakin decided that if Obi-Wan wasn't going to show his emotions, then he wasn't going to show his.

"I need you to go and fetch me a Jawa's droid part 92-4B. Do you think you can handle that without getting distracted?"

'Do you think you can handle that without getting distracted?' Anakin mimicked in his mind. "Yes, Master," Anakin bowed 'respectfully'.

"I'll expect you back at the end of the day," Obi-Wan turned and walked back into the Temple. He never thought training a Padawan would be this frustrating. Was he this hard on Qui-Gon? Possibly.

Anakin walked back out of the gates that guard the Temple, seeing Watcher wave out of the corner of his eye. He walked over to his speeder bike, reflecting on just how much he and his master's relationship had changed. He never had to worry about these things before. What would happen if Anakin were to be taken as someone else's Padawan?

Anakin shuddered at the thought and drove down to his Jawa buddies' place. Little did his Master know, Anakin had people that sold directly from Tatooine. Obi-Wan always gave Anakin 1,000 credits for missions and small things. It was sort of like an allowance and not that big of a deal. Anakin could probably get the 92-4B for five hundred credits, leaving five hundred for some spending money. Maybe he'd head back over to the market and see what he could get from those speeder parts.

After walking through a rather seedy area, he went up to a wooden door with a black X on it. After propping his bike in the holsters by the door and locking it, he began the secret code. He knocked five times waited five seconds then knocked two more times. The door opened slowly, and Anakin walked in, a big smile on his face. This was going to be fun.


End file.
